Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Parenting and Advocacy Attention span in preschoolers?

LOL, I googled the RUF's checklist before you replied and wondered if there was any science to back it up. OK, back to waiting and trying not to think about it too much.

I think this is really good advice. And, I agree about the LOGs.

I don't think attention span in preschoolers is linked to intelligence. My child's temperament is so reasonable, calm, and easy going. Her attention span has always been limitless. That is not the temperament I think of when I think of gifted children. I do think it helps. I actually think it is this temperament, and not intelligence, that makes her look so advanced at a young age. Most toddlers do not sit still and let you read anything to them all day thereby learning heaps of information. (In this case it really comes down to the caregiver's attention span, right?) Most four-year-olds are not able to sit and read books to themselves in 2 and 3 hour stretches daily.

I think it is a great advantage, but long attention span has only made me doubt more. I will say that it was clearly evident to many that have met her that DD's attention span was off the charts loooooong. I never had any doubt in that.

All gifted children have the same temperament? I don't think attention span contraindicates giftedness! As demonstrated by my always-attentive kids tested as MG-HG.

I found the Ruf Guide reasonably accurate, but can see how that could also be a fluke

I have to turn away from any lists that talk about early talkers, early walkers, early everything. Both my boys were very late sitters (11 & 9 months ... though both crawled before sitting unassisted) late walkers (18 & 15 months) late talkers (3 years and ... still waiting at 3.3 years for the younger one), so definitely not the "usual gifted path". But out of curiosity, I did do the assessment for both of them online and they placed in level 2-3 even with the late developments in speech and motor skills. With the younger one I had to lie on his age since he only just turned 3. So until the boys are old enough to get them tested with some reliability, we know very little.

I guess you just can't pigeon-hole people. I always think of gifted kids as being non-sleepers because mine definitely fit that stereotype and yet a friend of mine has a gifted boy who took 2-3 hour naps until he was four! My mind boggles at that

I have those non-sleepers! lol They can function on 4hrs of sleep / day!

My five-year-old doesn't nap every day now, but when he naps, it's generally for 2-3 hours. At four, he needed 2-3 hours every day without fail. We made my daughter stop napping two weeks before she started kindergarten, but I think we would have gotten another year of them if we hadn't.

DD spent 4.5 minutes when she 4.5 months old successfully kicking the insect net we had on her. She hated the dome blocking her view and had been trying for a week to get it off her. She finally just decided the trick was to not give up. She used her feet and legs first and once she lifted one end up, she used her hands to finally throw the stupid thing behind her head. Then, she gave that "i have accomplished" smile that was priceless. I recorded the whole thing as I watched in disbelief. She continues to have that kind of persistence when she puts her mind on something. Her attention span at 3.8 years now is regularly 1-2 hours (sometimes more) doing things she enjoys such as drawing, clay sculpture, or messy independent play. Her span for adult-directed activities is max 15 minutes unless she finds a way to take it her own direction. Regarding sleep, she sleeps 9 hours at night and still takes 3 hour naps almost everyday. I am LUCKY but she inherits that from me. I still need 10 hours/night to function properly.